Process and a Device for Conveying Odd-Shaped Containers

ABSTRACT

A process for efficiently conveying containers along a table-top conveying system includes the steps of temporarily securing a transfer stabilizing support ( 1   a,    1   b ) to a bottom end of a formed container ( 14 ) so that the container can freely move along a production line using the table-top conveying system where the transfer stabilizing support has a bottom surface ( 2   a,    2   b ) with an opening ( 4   a,    4   b ), a sidewall ( 6   a,    6   b ) extending substantially perpendicular to the bottom surface, and a ridge area ( 10   b ) surrounding the opening and inside the sidewall of the support; and after the container has gone through operations of the production line, the transfer stabilizing support is removed so that aesthetic qualities of the formed container shape are revealed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to the conveyance of unstable,empty containers in a production line, and more particularly to atransfer stabilization support that temporarily attaches to a top-heavyor odd-shaped container with a non-round bottom surface end so that thetop-heavy or odd-shaped container can be easily conveyed throughout theproduction line.

2. Related Art

Typically, containers are formed with a stable base surface so that thecontainers can easily be conveyed in a table-top fashion along aproduction line. Generally, containers are moved freely through aproduction line by standing the container on its base surface andpushing the container via air along the production line. The productionline may start when the container exits the container forming operationand continue to filling and capping operations and then to a coolingoperation, if necessary. However, the shape of some of the containers donot lend themselves to be conveyed along a production line in thetable-top fashion.

Some containers may have a narrower bottom end than an upper end of thecontainer. The wider upper portion and the narrower bottom end, whilehaving a relatively smooth surface, produce a container that cannot beeasily conveyed when the container is empty, because the upper endproduces a top-heavy empty container that may topple over on its sidewhen the container is pushed via air or other means. Similarly, longslender containers typically have poor line conveyance due to a highcenter of gravity. While conventional hot-fill technology incorporates anumber of recessed panels that are placed in the mid-section of thecontainer, emerging technologies in the hot-fill area are producinghot-filled containers with a vacuum absorption panel, which is recessed,at the lower third of the container. That is, the recessed panel isbeing moved to the lower third of the container resulting in acontainers being formed with a slender lower or standing portion, whichtends to tip over when being pushed by air, for example, when beingguided to a conveyor in a table-top production line. An empty top-heavycontainer can result also from “light-weighting” the base and sidewallsof a container to reduce the cost of the container since the finish areaof the container retains its weight in grams of plastic material inorder to provide integrity for the closure. Other containers may have asubstantially rounded base or a projection extending outward from abottom end of the container, which inhibits the conveying of thecontainer in the least expensive production line (i.e., a table-topconveying system).

Thus, such odd-shaped containers either cannot be conveyed in thetable-top fashion, or their conveyance in a table-top fashion results innumerous toppled containers and requires costly, constant supervision tofacilitate the movement of the containers through the production line.Consequently, a complex system of conveyors was thought necessary inorder to convey the odd-shaped container through the filling, capping,batching and cooling operations. Such a complex system of conveyors fora production line is a costly investment since it may only be useful fora single odd-shaped container.

In order to provide lightweight (and less costly) containers, it isknown in the art to remove the gram weight out of the sidewalls andbottom of the containers. However, this method adds to the instabilityof the formed lightweight container, as it is conveyed in a conventionaltable-top system, as the center of gravity moves upwards as gram weightis removed from the bottom and sidewalls of the container resulting in acontainer that is easier to tip over. This trend for lightweightcontainers and the trend to move the vacuum compression panels to thelower third of the container presents a challenge in conveying the newcontainers in a cost-efficient manner.

A complex conveying system involving rails that hold the containers bytheir necks can handle containers that tend to topple over when pushedor controlled by air in a table-top conveying system. While neckconveying guide rails may be suitable for conveying some containersalong a portion of a production line, the neck rail conveyor is notsuitable for entry into a cooling tunnel and exiting therefrom, as acost-effective, cooling operation is typically achieved by cooling anumber of the containers at one time.

Moreover, a rail neck conveying system is designed only for containershaving substantially the same neck size. Accordingly, reliance on a railneck conveying system would involve such inefficiencies as changing theentire rail neck conveying system to enable the conveying of a differenttype of container, such as a container with a different sized neck. Thiswould result in an unacceptable level of downtime and would limit thedesign of containers used by this specialized rail device to a smallnumber of containers.

Consequently, what is needed is a process for conveying top-heavy andodd-shaped containers in a cost-effective manner. This is especiallytrue for conveying containers that are to be filled with a hot productand then are cooled in a production line. In order for these containersto be conveyed in the table-top fashion in a production line (e.g., fromthe blow-molded stage, where the container is formed to a capping andfiling operation), a temporary transfer stabilization support is needed.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In summary, the instant invention employs a transfer stabilizing supportthat temporarily surrounds a bottom end of a blow-molded or other formedcontainer to provide a stable surface and add temporary weight so thatthe container can be easily conveyed in the table-top manner through thefiling, capping and cooling operations, if necessary. The process forconveying top-heavy and odd-shaped containers, according to theinvention, temporarily secures a transfer stabilizing support to thebottom end of a formed container so that the container can freely movealong a production line in the table-top manner, and after the containerhas gone through the production line, the transfer stabilizing supportis removed so that the aesthetic qualities of the formed container shapeare revealed. As stated above, the transfer stabilizing support,according to the invention, adds temporary weight to the bottom of alightweight container and/or top-heavy containers to provide both addedstability and enhanced handling characteristics.

The transfer stabilizing support, according to the invention, isdesigned to fit any number of containers that may be formed by ablow-molding or like operation. Such a transfer stabilizing support,according to the invention, would include a bottom surface with anopening for receiving a rod or other mechanical means to remove thetemporary support from a container and a wall extending substantiallyperpendicular from the bottom sure that is provided with projections totemporarily grip the bottom side of a container.

The bottom sure of the transfer stabilizing support may provide anincreased “standing ring” or a larger, stable standing area so that anodd-shaped or top-heavy container may be conveyed with ease and withfewer problems then those associated with conveying the same via aircontrol in a table-top fashion. While the term “ring” is used, thedesign of the transfer stabilizing support and the bottom surface may berectangular, square or triangular, depending upon the shape of thecontainer being conveyed. In some instances, the transfer stabilizingring may be used with containers that may be able to conveyed on theirown in the table-top manner to add temporary weight and thereby improvethe handling characteristics of these containers.

The transfer stabilizing support may be temporarily secured to a formedcontainer that is top-heavy and act as a counterbalance duringconveyance along a table-top production line. The shape of the transferstabilizing support corresponds generally to the shape of the containerto which it is to be attached and the gripping projections on the wallof the support secure the support to the container in this manner, theweight of the transfer stabilizing support may be temporarily secured tothe bottom end of a container causing the center of gravity of thecontainer to be lowered for more efficient transfer of the containerthrough the filling operation in a production line.

In addition to the weight that the transfer stabilizing support may addto a container, the bottom of the support may be formed with astabilization surface that increases the amount of surface contact withthe table-top conveyor. This stabilization surface increases the controlover and the quality of the container to transfer through the fillingline by effectively adding more surface contact area with the table-topconveyor.

The substantially perpendicular wall (sidewall) of a support may provideadditional support and act as a brace to the lower end of a lightweightor thin container during the filing process, as the more rigid sidewallsof the support may resist the container's tendency to bow outward duringthe filling operation and/or cooling operation of a conveying processaccording to the invention. In addition, the rigid sidewall of thesupport may reduce line handling damage to the lower end of thecontainer.

In another embodiment of the transfer stabilization support according tothe invention, the bottom surface may have a ridge projecting from thebottom surface in the same direction as the perpendicular wall andspaced therefrom. Each support, for different volumetric containers,would be designed so that its ridge creates a uniform height at whichthe neck of the container is presented to the filling and cappingstations. Alternatively, a transfer stabilizing support may be providedwith inserts that would achieve the function of the ridge. In this way,the same transfer stabilizing supports could be used and an insert couldbe placed therein to present necks of different containers at a uniformheight. This feature would greatly limit the amount of downtime spentadjusting the production line for another type of container and wouldlimit the amount of parts needed to modify a production line forsimilar, yet different height, containers.

Since circular containers tend to move more easily through a productionline, it is envisioned that containers with rectangular ortriangular-shaped bases may be provided with a temporary transferstabilization support to aid in the transfer efficiency of the containerduring line production. That is, a square-like base may be temporarilysecured to a circular transfer stabilizing support that has insertsfirmly attached to the bottom surface adjacent the wall of the support.Alternatively, circular supports may be attached to substantiallycylindrical containers so that the same support can be used withcontainers or different diameters, or, a square-shaped support may beattached to a substantially cylindrical container.

This invention is in a crowded and mature art and achieves a novelprocess for efficiently conveying containers along a table-top conveyingsystem, which includes the steps of temporarily securing a transferstabilizing support to a bottom end of a formed container so that thecontainer can freely move along a production line using the table-topconveying system, and after the container has gone through operations ofthe production line, the transfer stabilizing support is removed so thataesthetic qualities of the formed container shape are revealed. Thetransfer stabilizing support, according to the invention has a bottomsurface with an opening, a sidewall extending substantiallyperpendicular to the bottom surface, and a ridge area surrounding theopening and inside the sidewall of the support where the ridge areaserves to accommodate changes in height of different containers to beconveyed.

The ridge area may be formed by an insert that is securely placed insidea cup-enclosure formed by the bottom surface and the wall of thetransfer stabilization support. In another embodiment, a generic shellfor a transfer stabilization support may be designed so that, dependingupon an insert placed in the shell, a container with a rectangular,square, circular or triangular base can be attached to the support. Aninsert would be placed inside the generic shell of the support that hasa diameter corresponding to that of the container that is to beconveyed. The insert would securely grip the container to be conveyed,as well as ensure that the presentation height of the neck of thecontainer is substantially uniform for the plurality of containers.

Further objectives and advantages, as well as the structure and functionof preferred embodiments, will become apparent from a consideration ofthe description, drawings, and examples.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will beapparent from the following, more particular description of a preferredembodiment of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawingswherein like reference numbers generally indicate identical,functionally similar, and/or structurally similar elements.

FIG. 1 a depicts an exemplary embodiment of a transfer stabilizationsupport according to the present invention;

FIG. 1 b depicts another exemplary embodiment of a transferstabilization support according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the transfer stabilization support shown in FIG.1 b;

FIG. 3 is a top view of the transfer stabilization support shown in FIG.1 a;

FIG. 4 illustrates a container that will be inserted into a transferstabilization support and a container securely attached to a transferstabilization support according to the present invention; and

FIG. 5 illustrates the removal of a temporarily secured transferstabilization support from a container according to one embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention are discussed in detail below. Indescribing embodiments, specific terminology is employed for the sake ofclarity. However, the invention is not intended to be limited to thespecific terminology so selected. While specific exemplary embodimentsare discussed, it should be understood that this is done forillustration purposes only. A person skilled in the relevant art willrecognize that other components and configurations can be used withoutparting from the spirit and scope of the invention. AU references citedherein are incorporated by reference as if each had been individuallyincorporated.

Looking at FIGS. 1 a and 1 b, two embodiments of the inventive, transferstabilization support 1 a and 1 b are shown, which when secured to acontainer provide stability and enhanced handling characteristics to aconveyed container. Each support 1 a, 1 b has a bottom surface 2 a, 2 bwith an opening 4 a, 4 b and a wall 6 a, 6 b extending perpendicularlyfrom an outer edge of bottom surface 2 a, 2 b forming a cup-likeenclosure. The cup-like enclosure corresponds to an outer diameter of acontainer to be conveyed so that the support 1 a, 1 b can be securelyattached to the container. The thickness of the wall 6 a, 6 b can varydepending upon the shape of the transfer stabilization support. Thesupport is made from a plastic material, for example, polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), polypropylene, polyethylene material or similarmaterials, and has a sufficient thickness to ensure the wall will remainstable during filling capping and a cooling operation. That is, wall 6a, 6 b is of sufficient thickness to brace thin sidewalls of a containerbeing conveyed during the production line process thereby assisting inthe strength of the container being conveyed so that line handling abuseof the lower extremity of the container is minimized. Depending upon thesize of the container to be conveyed with the temporary transferstabilization support, the height of the wall 6 a, 6 b may vary, as maythe shape and/or profile of the support. The opening 4 a, 4 b isdesigned so that it does not interfere with an odd-shape projection fromthe base of a container and provides room to separate a secured transferstabilization support from a container.

The transfer stabilization support 1 a, 1 b may be made out of similaror dissimilar material from that of the container and is ideally made ofplastic material. That is, support 1 a, 1 b can be made from leftovermaterial used to make the container, in particular, scrap pieces ofmaterial. Thus, the transfer stabilization support could be made out ofrecycled material that was not necessary for making the containers ortrimmed off during the container manufacturing process. Consequently,the production of transfer stabilization supports may employ scrapplastic from the same or another production job. This provides morecost-savings in that the material used to make the supports can beobtained from leftover material from a container making process.

A first function of the transfer stabilization support according to theinvention is to provide a temporary counterbalance weight that is to besecurely attached to a lower portion of a container. In addition to theshape of the cup-like enclosure formed by wall 6 a, 6 b corresponding tobase of a container, wall 6 a, 6 b includes ribs 7 a, 7 b that projectinto the closure to securely hold and/or support the contour of thecontainer base. Ribs 7 a,7 b are projections that extend into thecup-like enclosure and, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 a and 1 b may betriangular in shape. Depending upon the amount of weight desired to beadded to a container, the shape of the projecting rib 7 a, 7 b may varyand may be rectangular or some other shape. The function of theprojecting rib 7 a, 7 b is to take up space in the cup-like enclosure sothat support 1 a, 1 b can be secured to the bottom of a container in afriction-fit manner.

In some instances, the rib 7 a is molded into a side of the wall so thatthe outer wall shows a recessed projection area and the inner wall showsthe projecting rib 7 a with the base of the molded rib 7 a adjacentbottom surface 2 a extending further into the cup-like enclosure thanthe top of molded rib 7 a. This arrangement provides sufficient supportto a container and provides sufficient weight, while not requiring toomany grams of plastic material to make the support. In the exemplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 1 b, projecting ribs 7 b extend from sidewall 6a into the cup-like enclosure in a triangular shape. That is, the baseof projecting rib 7 b adjacent bottom surface 2 b is the short side of aright triangle that extends into the cup-like enclosure and the longerside of the right triangle extends away from bottom surface 2 b alongsidewall 6 b with the width of the projecting rib 7 b decreasing as therib moves away from bottom surface 2 b. Accordingly, a container that isto be temporarily secured to transfer stabilization support 1 a, 1 b mayhave a bottom side that curves toward the center of the container andthe wider base of the projecting rib 7 a, 7 b would be able to rubagainst the bottom side without damaging the container, as the widestpart of the projection rib is at the bottom surface on which thecontainer rests. It is through these shapes that projecting ribs 7 a, 7b serve as grippers that grip the containers temporarily in afriction-fit manner in the transfer stabilization support. As statedabove, the shape of the projecting ribs may vary depending upon theshape of the container. It is envisioned that the projecting rib may bea plurality of projecting rib segments that are formed to bump out ofthe sidewall and grip a container to be secured to a support. The addedweight of the transfer stabilization support to the bottom of an emptycontainer serves to lower the center of gravity of the container to beconveyed for more efficient transfer during the filling process, forexample.

While a filled container may only need a small area of contact so thatthe product stands on a grocer's shelf or in a consumer's cabinet orrefrigerator appliance, a larger amount of surface contact is conducivefor enhancing control and handling of a container during the transferalong a production line, particularly before the container is filled.Accordingly, support 1 b is made with a bottom surface 2 b that rests onthe table-top conveyor and may increase the surface contact area withthe table-top conveyor. As shown in FIG. 2, ridge area 10 b isconcentrically spaced from wall 6 b and is positioned so that bottomsurface 2 b extends on either side. As a result of this structure, thesurface contact area of the bottom of the container can be increased.Further, the ridge area provides support to a non-flat container bottom,i.e., contacts a container at a position away from the relatively flatportion of the container to provide additional balance during theproduction process.

Support 1 a has a bottom surface 2 a that is attached to a pedestal 8,which increases the surface contact area with the table-top conveyor.Pedestal 8 is formed with an opening so that opening 4 a continuesthroughout support 1 a and has a ridge area 10 a, which has a smallerdiameter than that of the pedestal and is concentrically spaced fromwall 6 a of support 1 a. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter ofbottom surface 2 a of support 1 a is smaller than the inner diameter ofpedestal 8. If necessary, weight may be trimmed from this embodiment byproviding indentations at the inner diameter of bottom surface 2 a. Inthis embodiment, the height of the ridge area 10 a (shown in FIG. 5) maychange to determine the height of the neck of the container to beconveyed. Alternatively, inserts [12—not shown] may be placed inside thecup-like enclosure to modify the height of the bottom of the cup-likeenclosure so that a plurality of containers can be attached to support 1a and present their necks at a uniform height. Likewise, support 1 b maybe provided with inserts to modify the height of the bottom of thecup-like enclosure.

Support 1 b is formed with a ridge area 10 b concentrically spaced fromwall 6 b and projecting into the cup-like enclosure from bottom surface2 b. According to this embodiment of the transfer stabilization supportof the present invention, the height of the ridge area 10 b can bemodified to accommodate changes in height of containers to be conveyed.In this embodiment, inserts could be used to modify the size/shape ofthe support and the height of the ridge area. For example, single-servebeverage containers vary from as large as 32 oz. to a small 8 oz.container. The outside diameter of the support would be designed toaccommodate and snugly fit with a 32 oz. container and inserts could beused to modify the inside diameter to a smaller container to beconveyed. The inserts would be securely attached to the generic shell ofthe support and would then accommodate a variety of different volumesize containers to receive the same product.

In addition to modifying the inner diameter to correspond to a smallercontainer, the insert could raise the ridge area so that thepresentation height of a smaller container would be uniform with thepresentation height of a larger container. The ability of the transferstabilization support to raise and lower the base upon which thecontainer rests will greatly limit the downtime associated withconventional production lines that change containers that receive thesame product. In addition, a smaller number of parts will be needed toaccommodate a variety of container sizes, as it is the support thatchanges and not the actual production line system.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, a container 14 may be pressed into a transferstabilization support 1 a, 1 b (in the direction represented by arrow13) that is positioned underneath a container 14 exiting a containerforming operation so that support 1 a, 1 b is temporarily secured to alower portion of container 14. Alternatively, support 1 a, 1 b may bemoved (in the direction represented by arrow 15) against a container 14held in its position when exiting a container forming operation. Theoperation of temporarily securing a transfer stabilization support to alower portion of a container 14 may be accomplished in a rotarymechanism. The lower portion of container 14 substantially correspondsto the shape/profile of support 1 a, 1 b and the rib projections 7 a, 7b of support 1 a, 1 b grip the lower portion sidewall of container 14 ina friction-fit manner. Once containers 14 are temporarily secured to atransfer stabilization support 1 a, 1 b, they can be easily transferredalong a table-top conveying system as a normal container with a flatbottom portion is. If desired, containers 14 with a transferstabilization support temporarily secured thereto may be placed in apallet and moved to an off-site filling operation. When the palletizedcontainers reach the of-site filling operation, containers aredepalletized onto a table-top conveyor production line system thatincludes filling the container 14 with a product and then cappingcontainer 14. If a hot-filled product is poured into a container 14, acooling operation would occur after the capping operation. In thissituation, containers 14 with a transfer stabilization support securedthereto could be placed in a pallet or other container so that a largenumber of containers could be cooled.

As schematically shown in FIG. 5, the transfer stabilization support isremoved from a container. First, a mechanical apparatus would capture acontainer 14 with a transfer stabilization support attached thereto andthen, a rod (represented by arrow 20) would be inserted within opening 4a, 4 b so that the rod abuts a bottom of container 14. Container 14 isheld in its position as rod 20 is pushed against the bottom of container14 causing container 14 to break free of the friction-fit of wall 6 aand projecting ribs 7 a. Thus, after the cooling operation, thecontainer may be stripped of the temporary transfer stabilizationsupport so that the aesthetic qualities of the containers shape arerevealed. Accordingly, the instant invention allows containers that aretop-heavy and/or have an odd-shape to be conveyed along a filling andcapping production line in a cost-effective manner.

If an container (as shown in FIG. 5) has the ability to accommodatevacuum absorption though an outwardly projecting base structure, theprotruding base should be inverted inside container 14 after the coolingprocess, which induces a vacuum that distorts the shape of container 14,thereby forcing the container into its intended shape for consumer use.If such a container is used, the mechanical apparatus described abovethat employs rod 20 to strip the transfer stabilization support couldserve two purposes. The first object would be to push the protrudingbase of container 14 inside container 14. The rigid sidewalls of thetransfer stabilization support 1 a should resist the container'stendency to bow outwardly at the lower sidewall of the container duringthe inversion of the outwardly protruding base. As a result, thetransfer stabilization support assists the ability to draw theprojecting base inward without damaging a lower sidewall of container 14and countering the induced vacuum that distorted container 14 during thecooling process. The second object is the removal of the transferstabilization support, as previously described.

Looking at FIG. 5, the bottom surface 2 a, it forms a ledge upon which astanding area of a container 14 rests. The standing area of a containeris the relatively flat surface of the container that contacts the groundupon which the container stands. In some instances, the standing areamay be the entire bottom surface of a container or the standing area maybe a small “ring” area 16 at or near the outer periphery of the bottomof the container, as shown in FIG. 5. The height of the ridge area 10 amay be designed so that a projecting bottom portion of the container mayextend to the base of the pedestal 8. That is, the height of the ridgearea may be determined by the depth of a projection base portion, inaddition to the height that would present the neck of the container atthe desired position. In the other exemplary embodiment, the standingarea of a container 14 rests on the projection of ridge area 10 b.Similarly, the height of ridge area 10 b may be determined by the depthof a projection base portion.

The embodiments illustrated and discussed in this specification areintended only to teach those skilled in the art the best way known tothe inventors to make and use the invention. Nothing in thisspecification should be considered as limiting the scope of the presentinvention. All examples presented are representative and non-limiting.The above-described embodiments of the invention may be modified orvaried, without departing from the invention, as appreciated by thoseskilled in the art in light of the above teachings. It is therefore tobe understood that, within the scope of the claims and theirequivalents, the invention may be practiced otherwise than asspecifically described.

1-9. (canceled)
 10. A system for performing operations on a plasticcontainer, comprising: means for receiving the plastic container; meansfor placing the plastic container in said means for receiving; means forconveying the plastic container while the plastic container is in saidmeans for receiving, wherein said means for receiving includes: meansfor supporting a bottom portion of the plastic container, means forstabilizing the plastic container, means for frictionally engaging thebottom portion of the plastic container, and means for allowing physicalmanipulation of at least a part of the bottom portion of the plasticcontainer.
 11. The system according to claim 10, further comprisingmeans for manipulating the bottom portion of the plastic container whilethe plastic container is in said means for receiving.
 12. The systemaccording to claim 11, wherein said means for manipulating the bottomportion of the plastic container is further configured to remove theplastic container from said means for receiving.
 13. The systemaccording to claim 10, further comprising means for removing the plasticcontainer from said means for receiving.
 14. The system according toclaim 10, wherein the means for receiving further includes means forsetting a presentation height of a plastic container to be received bysaid means for receiving.
 15. The system according to claim 10, furthercomprising: means for filling the plastic container; means for cappingthe plastic container; and means for creating a vacuum in the filled andcapped plastic container.
 16. The system according to claim 10, whereinthe plastic container is in said means for receiving during at least oneof a filling operation, a capping operation, and a cooling operation.17. The system according to claim 16, wherein said filling operationincludes filling the plastic container with a hot product, said coolingoperation creates a vacuum in the hot-filled and capped plasticcontainer, and the cooled plastic container having a vacuum createdtherein is manipulated so as to substantially absorb the vacuum, themanipulating including inverting a vacuum panel at the bottom portion ofthe plastic container from a position outside the plastic container to aposition inside the plastic container.
 18. A method for performingoperations on a plurality of containers in a production line,comprising: a step for engaging each said container with a correspondingcontainer holder, each said container being in an unstableconfiguration; a step for conveying the unstable containers whileengaged; a step for filling each said unstable container while thecontainer is engaged; a step for capping each said filled, unstablecontainer while the container is engaged; a step for cooling each saidfilled and capped unstable container while the container is engaged; astep for transforming each said container from the unstableconfiguration to a stable configuration; and a step for disengaging thecooled containers from the corresponding container holders.
 19. Themethod according to claim 18, wherein the unstable container includes atleast one of a top-heavy container, an odd-shaped container, a containerwith a high center of gravity, a container with a rounded base portion,and a container with a projection extending from a bottom portion of thecontainer.